The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for feeding strips to a packaging machine, in particular a sealing machine, at which the strips are individually packed, in particular, sealed in foil.
The strips may consist of various materials, for example paper, cardboard or plastic, so that they are not completely rigid but have a certain flexibility and present corresponding difficulties in manipulation. The strips may be coated with various materials, for example with a single or several different reagents. In particular, the strips are diagnostic test strips.
Hitherto, such test strips were accommodated mainly in a relatively large number in collective packs, for example glasses or metal tubes, and individually removed therefrom for use. However, the test strips cannot then be kept satisfactorily hygienically clean for a relatively long period of time. Test strips have already been packed individually in foil or sheet with the aid of a corresponding machine, in particular sealed in between two sheet pieces. These sheets or foils consist generally of a metal layer (aluminium) which on the outer side can be coated and imprinted and which on the inner side, at least over part of the surface subsequently forming the sealing region, is coated with polyethylene or a hot-sealing lacquer. The individual strips are protected in such a pack against external influences, can be stored for a long time and are easy to use, the price of the strips not being higher, or hardly so, than that of the strips contained in collective packages. The removal of the strips is facilitated by suitable tearing aids. For manufacturing such individual strip packs, suitable packaging machines, in particular sealing machines, are known. The individual strips and two foil webs are supplied the machine, the strips being sealed between the webs and the sealed foil then being cut into individual foil packs. The performance of such packaging machines was hitherto been restricted in that supplying individual strips to the packaging machine was possible only with a limited speed, i.e. a limited number of strips per unit time. The strips were supplied in one web transversely to the running direction and the performance was restricted to about 300 strips per minute if the strips were to be supplied to the packaging machine with satisfactory alignment for forming proper individual packs.
The invention is based on the problem of providing a method and an apparatus with which it is possible to supply accurately to a packaging machine simultaneously a large number of strips with high cycle frequency to achieve a high packing performance with good accuracy. If for example the packaging machine operates with a cycle frequency of 60/min and for each cycle 25 strips can be supplied simultaneously, the result would be a packing performance of 1500/min.
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for feeding strips to a packaging machine comprising means for cutting a card-like material into individual strips disposed parallel to one another, transfer means disposed below the cutting means, including means defining individual, substantially vertically extending, upright compartments, each compartment being adapted to receive a cut strip through an inlet end thereof and discharge a cut strip through an outlet end thereof, at least a portion of the transfer means being mounted for pivotal movement between a generally vertically oriented position, with the compartments extending substantially upright and a generally horizontally oriented position with the compartments extending substantially horizontally. Means are provided for simultaneously ejecting the individual strips out of the compartments at an outlet end thereof when the compartments extend substantially horizontally. Means are also provided for defining a plurality of guide paths for the individual strips adjacent the exit ends of the individual compartments when the compartments lie in substantially horizontal positions for receiving the individual strips whereby the individual strips may be received in the packaging machine disposed at the end of the guide paths.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a method for feeding strips to a packaging machine for packing the strips individually in foil, comprising the steps of substantially simultaneously cutting from a card-like material a plurality of individual strips lying parallel to each other, disposing the plurality of cut strips in upright positions thereof in a transfer means, pivoting the transfer means such that the individual strips lie substantially horizontally adjacent each other, transferring groups of strips from the transfer means under constrained guiding movement to a table for movement of the strips along predetermined guide paths defined by the table and conveying the group of strips substantially simultaneously along the table while constraining the strips for guided conveyance into engagement between a pair of sealing rolls of the packaging machine.
Thus, fundamentally the method and apparatus according to the invention are configured such that for each individual strip to be supplied to the packaging machine a constrained guiding is ensured starting with the cutting of the strips from a card-like material up to entry and gripping of the individual strips in the packaging machine, and a large number of strips can be cut simultaneously parallel adjacent each other and fed with high cycle frequency to the packaging machine.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification, appended claims and drawings.